Six Nigerian nationals accused of belonging to the Black Axe crime network were extradited from Cape Town to US authorities on Friday over an alleged R100 million online romance scam that targeted more than 100 American women.
Who are the men extradited to US custody?
According to a statement from the Hawks’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the six men are wanted in the US on wire fraud and money laundering charges linked to the Black Axe organised criminal network.
They have been named as Perry Osagiede, Collins Owhofsa Otughwor, Osariemen Eric Clement, Musa Mudashiri, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede and Prince Ibeabuchi Mark.
The suspects allegedly used sophisticated online relationships to defraud the women of more than R100 million, or roughly $6.2 million at current exchange rates.
The case dates back to 2021, when all eight original suspects were arrested in South Africa in a Hawks takedown operation.
In February 2024, the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court ruled that all eight men could be extradited to the United States. Two of them chose not to pursue further appeals.
Enorense Izevbigie was extradited in 2024, while Toriseju Gabriel Otubu was granted bail of R210,000 with conditions and remains before South African courts.
Nigerians extradited to US after Cape Town handover
The six men were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport on Friday, where they were handed over to United States officials.
Interpol South Africa coordinated the handover, according to Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale, who said the men were “handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service.”
The group then boarded a 16-hour flight bound for the United States, where they are expected to face trial on the wire fraud and money laundering charges against them.
It remains unclear when the US court proceedings will formally begin.
What is the Black Axe network?
Black Axe traces its roots to a student confraternity called the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, founded at the University of Benin in 1977.
It has since evolved into one of Nigeria’s most prominent transnational organised crime networks, with an estimated 30,000 members operating through roughly 60 zones inside Nigeria and 35 more abroad, according to Europol figures reported this year.
The network is best known internationally for cyberfraud, including business email compromise schemes and online romance fraud targeting victims across the US, Europe and beyond.
Investigators have previously linked the group to hundreds of millions of dollars in annual proceeds from these operations.
Romance scams and the toll on US victims
Romance scams remain a significant and growing problem in the United States.
Americans over 60 lost $584 million to romance scams in 2025, up 50 percent from $389 million the previous year, according to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data.
Older adults, like some of the women allegedly targeted in this case, are frequently singled out in such schemes because they are perceived to hold savings and to be more trusting of unsolicited online relationships.
The case against Otubu, the one suspect who remains in South Africa on bail, continues before local courts, while the six newly extradited men are expected to appear before a US court to answer the charges against them.
